Variable automatic cut-off.



H. W. A. FUHRMANN VARIABLE AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1914.

1 ,246A: 1 2. Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Y. R W NESSES: H I /g/;% 1VENTEIR,

HI S ATTORNEY H. W. A. FUHRIVIANN. VARIABLE AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 25.1914.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TNVEINTEIFL,

WITNESSES:- L '%w( HIS ATTLIFINEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H EIVRY W. A. FUHRIVIANN', 0F ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

VARIABLE'AUTOMATIC our-ore Applicatioi filed July 25, 1914 a Serial No.853,021 Y To (ZZZ whom it'may concern: I j

Be it known that I, HENRY W. A. F'UH'R- MANN, a citizenflof the UnitedStates, residing at Alhambra, in the county ofLos Angeles andState ofCalifornia, haveinvented new .and useful Improvements in VariableAutomatic Cut-Offs, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to variable automatic cut-offs, whereby the flowof a fluid or other material may be terminated or reduced when apre-determined period of such fiow has occurred. More particularly, the

invention relates to variable automaticcutoffs for water and likefluids, whereby. the supply or flow of such fluids may be terminatedafter a certain amount of the same has been discharged. Such apparatusis of particular advantage and service in regulating.

quantity of fluid, and may leave to the automatic action of theapparatus the discharge of such certain amount of fluid, without furtherattention to that end being required. As soon as the proper dischargehas taken place, no further fluid movement will be permitted until theapparatus has been reset so as to permit a succeeding action by it inregulation of further liquid movement.

The invention has for its object to provide improved apparatus of thegeneral character stated which will be superior in point of relativesimplicity and inexpensiveness of construction and organization,reliability and accuracy in operation, facility in use and control andadjustment and durability, which will not be liable to get out of orderor adjustment, and which will be gen erally superior in efficiency andserviceability. 7

iVith the above and other objects in view,

1 the inventionconsists in the novel and use ful provisioinformation,construction, combination, association and relative arrange ment ofparts, members and, features, all'as hereinafter described, shown in thedrawings, and'finally poiiitedout in claims.

In the-drawings: t Figure 1' is a front elevation of a. va-

riable automatic cut-01f mechanism or apparatus organized-in accordancewith tliein vention Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse. sectional viewofthe same, taken upon the line wm Fig. 1, and looking inthe directionof the appended arrows;

Fig. 3 isa detailhorizontalsectional View appended arrows; and,

Fig. t is a detail transverse sectional view, taken on the line ma2 Fig.2, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows.

Corresponding parts inall the figures are designated by the samereference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawings, A. designates thereina-supply pipe for water or other liquid through which such liquidispassed in the direction denoted by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 3, to al-outlet or discharge nozzle 0.. B designates a cut-off.

valve or gatevalve, of conventional or any preferred form, whereby theflow of liquid through the supply pipe A may be termi-,- nated. Cdesignates means acting normally Specification of Letters Patent.Patented NOV. 13 1917; I I

of the. same, taken upon the line x w Fig. 1, and looking in thedirection of the to operate the valve B to so cut off the flow of liquidthrough the pipe A. D designates means opposing the action of the meansC,

and acting. to hold the valve B in open position, such means D includinga trip member (Z. F designates operating means for the trip member (Z,and including a plurality of separate adjustable members 7"; and Gdesignates an actuator for the operat ing means F, such actuator beingimpelled by fluid passing through the supply pipe A.

In theparticular and specific form of construction and combination ofparts, members and features disclosed in the drawing, which is merelyone embodiment or onespecificform 0f the invention, the actuator isshown as comprising a casing 5 which the supply pipe A is interrupted toreceive, and

two meshed rotors 6 journaled within the casing/ 5 to be jointly andoppositelyrotated" bevel gear 9, upon a shaft 10, such parts 8, I

9, and 10 being included within the operating means T3 for the tripmember d of the means D. Such means F further include spaced standardsor uprights 11 and 12 between which the shaft 10 is journaled, asare.

other shafts 13, 14, 15 and 16, which are ar, ranged, spaced apart, in avertical series.

Theshaft 10 carries a pinion 17 meshing with a gear 18 upon the shaft13; the shaft 13' also carries .a pinion 19 meshing witha gear 20 uponthe shaft 14. The shaft 14 also carries a pinion 21 meshing with a gear22 upon the shaft 15. The shaft 15 also carries a pinion 23 meshing witha gear 24 upon the shaft 16. Thus. all the shafts 10, 13, 14, 15 and 16are jointly rotated by and upon rotation of the shaft 7 of one of therotors 6 which is operated by the flow of liquid through the supply pipeA. Each of the shafts 13, 14, 15 and 16, outside of the standards ll and12, carries a fixed clutch member 25, and a loose clutch member 25a, 2525 and 25 respectively. Heads 26 are formed upon said shafts between theadjacent standard 12 and the res )ective fast clutch members 25; andbowed leaf springs 27 are provided between the clutch member 25 and itscompanion loose clutch member, in each such pair of fast and looseclutch members. Each of the loose clutch members is a cam in formation,having a nose 28 adapted to cooperate with the trip member cl whichcomprises an arm 29 pivotally supported at its lower end as at 30, andranging substantially vertically, and adapted to be so positioned as tobe engaged by the nose 28. At its upper end the arm 29 is formed into ahook or catch 31. The remaining portion of the means D, for opposing theaction of the means C, comprises a lever arm 32 pivotally supported asat 33, between its ends, upon the standard 12, and being provided atoneend with a finger 34 adapted to be engaged with the catch 31. At itsother end 7 the lever arm 32 carries pivot-ally as at 35, a dependinglink 36 pivotally connected at its lower end, as at 37, with the stem;38 of the gate valve B, whic stem is guided in a suitable frame 39 bywhich the upper end of a coil compression spring 40, constituting themeans C, is confined; The lower end of such spring 40 is confined by astop 41 upon the valve stem 38. The other features of the gate valve areof conventional design, or constructed as may be desired for anyparticular service. 7 V l Lock nuts 42 are preferably applied to theseveral shafts 13,14, 15 and16, to hold the adjustable clutch members-onsuch shafts against dis-connection, when such members are out of contactwith the fixed clutch members 25; said adjustable clutch members havingthumb nuts 42 adapted to fasten the same, and threaded upon the outerends of said shafts, upon which the lock nuts 42 are likewise threaded.

Suitable calibrations are formed on each of the fixed clutch members 25,as at 43, and an indicating mark 44 is provided on the nose 28 of eachof the adjustable clutch members. By bringing themark 44 intoregistration withcertain of the calibrations 43janydes' red adjustmentwithin the range of theapparatus may be made."

The operation, methodof use-and advar tages of the improvements invariable auto-r ma'tic cut-offs constituting the invention lwill bereadily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connectionwith theaccompanying drawing and following statement: i

The passage of fiuid through the supply 1 pipe A is permitted when thestem 38 of the, gate valve B is raised against the spring 40, and thefinger 34 upon the'levcr arm 32 isengaged with the catch 31 upon thetrip member (Z. The means F for operating the trip member are then setso that the trip member will be operated when apre-de-v t'ermined amountof fluid has passed through the supply pipe A. This is accomplished byengaging the proper loose clutch member 25* to 25 with its companionfast clutch memfl ber 25, upon the proper shaft 13, 14, 1501* 16, nosuch pair of clutch members, or member f of the means F, being shownasap.- plied to the shaft 10. Because of the gearing together of theseveral shafts,as described and shown in the drawing, it will require.progressively a greater number of rotations of the shaft 7 of theactuatorG to rotate the shaft 16 once than it will to rotate the shaft15 once; and the same is true with respect to the shaft 15 as comparedwith the shaft 14, and with the shaft 14 as com pared with the shaft 13.Thus, a greater, amount of fluid will have to pass through the pipe A torotate theshaft 16 once than to rotate the shaft 15 once, and so on withrespect to' the shaft 15 in comparison with the shaft 14, and withrespect, to the shaft 14 in comparison with the shaft 13. Let it beassumed that a thousand feet of fluid flow through the casing 5 will berequired to rotate the shaft 13 once, tenthousand feet of flow to rotatethe shaft 14 once, one hundred thousand feet of flowto rotate the shaft15 once, and a million feet of flow to rotate the shaft 16 once. If now,with the parts in the position shown in the drawing, it is desired tocut off the flow of fluid through the pipe A. when the amount of flowhas totaled that related, as stated, ,to a single rotation of each oftheshafts mentioned, all that is 136 essee necessary'is toallow the clutchmembers of othershafts to remain dis engaged each with respect to theother, and to .enga gethe clutch. members of the "particular shaft:related to nut 42 against the resistanceof the springv Thereupon, whenthe related amount 27. of liquid flow has taken place through the casing5, the rotors therein will, through the train of shafts, pinions andgears between the standards 11 and 12, cause the proper nose 28 to bebrought into engagement with the trip member (Z, freeing the nose 34from the catch 31, permitting the valve stem 38 to fall, and permittingthe spring 40 to close the gate valve and shut off further flow of theliquid. When the valve 38 is raised, the catch 31 is brought again overthe finger 84, and the flow of liquid may again be cut ofl whenpredetermined amount has passed through the casing 5 to the dischargenozzle or orifice a, by properly setting the proper clutch members ofthe proper member f of the means F, whereupon the operation above setforth will ensue.

It is manifest that many variations may be made with respect to theprovision, formation, combination, association and relative arrangementof parts, members and features, in adapting the invention to varyingconditions of use and service, all without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and a fair interpretation thereof.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising, in combination withfluid supply means; means acting to interrupt such fluid supply, meansopposing the action of said interrupting means to normally render saidinterrupting means inoperative, means operating to free saidinterrupting means from said opposing means, and an actuator for saidoperating means operated by the flow of fluid; said opposing meanscomprising two members adapted to be detachably co-engaged; and saidoperating means compris ing a plurality of members differentially movedby said actuator and each of which is adapted to be engaged with one ofsaid members of said opposing means to disconnect said members thereof.

2. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising, in combination withfluid supply means; means acting to interrupt such fluid supply, meansopposing the action of such interrupting means to normally render saidinterrupting means inoperative, means operating to free saidinterrupting means from said opposing means, and an actuator for saidoperating means operated by the fluid flow; said opposing meanscomprising two :members adapted tobe detachably co engaged; and: saidoperatinggmeans" oal; prisingia pluralityof members differentiallyrelated to s aid actuator and each of which isnadapted tobe engaged withone of said memberspf said opposing means to .dis connect "said membersthereof; and means whereby each of said members of said oper ating.means may be selectively operated 3. Apparatus of the characterdisclosed, comprising, in combination with fluid supply means;rmeansacting to interrupt such fluidsupply, means opposing the action of saidinterrupting means to normally render said interrupting meansinoperative, means operating to free said interrupting means from saidopposing means, and an actuator for said operating means operated by thefluid flow; said opposing means comprising two members adapted to bedetachably coengaged; and said operating means comprising a plurality ofdifferentially driven members each of which is adapted to be engagedwith one of said members of said opposing means to disconnect saidmembers thereof; and means for selectively operating said members ofsaid operating means; each of said members of said operating meanscomprising separate clutch members, and means normally holding saidclutch members apart.

a. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising, in combination witha fluid conduit; a valve controlling the flow of fluid 7 through saidconduit, means acting normally to close the valve, means opposing saidclosing means, operating means whereby said opposing means are operatedto free said valve therefrom, and an actuator for said operating meansoperated by the flow of fluid through said conduit; said opposing meanscomprising two co-engaged means, and said operating means comprising aplurality of separate diflerentially driven members, and means forselectively operating the same responsive to varying flow of fluidthrough said conduit.

5. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising, in combination witha fluid conduit; a valve controlling the flow of fluid through saidconduit, means acting normally to close the valve, means opposing saidclosing means, operating means whereby said opposing means are operatedto free said valve therefrom, and an actuator for said operating meansoperated by the flow of fluid through said conduit; said opposing meanscomprising two co-engaged members, and said operating means comprising aplurality of separate members each having a different ratio with respectto said actuator, and means for selectively operating the sameresponsive to varying flow of fluid through said conduit; each of saidseparate members of said operating means comprising sepa- Copies 01 thispatent may be obtained to:

rate clutch parts, one of which is provided I v W1th a WOIkIIlg partwhlch cooperates'wlth name to this 'speclficatlon 1n the presence onemember of said opposing means; sa1d of two subscribing .wltnesses.

sets of 'clutch parts being mounted upon HENRY W. A. FUHRMANN. separateshafts all of which such shafts are Witnesses:

coengaged for joint rotation at varying GnRoY PENDELL, speeds. ALFREDHQDAEHLER.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Patents. Weshington, D. G."

